The Tanna Rabbi Matya ben Charash

The Tanna Rabbi Matya ben Charash

Yahrzeit – 13 Elul

Place of burial – Israel, Eilabun

Rabbi Matya ben Charash was the head of the Yeshiva and of the rabbinical court in Rome.
He studied under Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus (Seder HaDorot).
In the year 3895 (135 CE), after the fall of Beitar and the crushing of the Bar Kochba revolt, he was forced to leave the Land of Israel. Settling in Rome, he founded a new centre of Torah in the very capital of the empire that had conquered Israel. When Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai visited Rome at the head of a delegation, he found Rabbi Matya ben Charash there and studied Torah together with him (Yoma 53b, Meilah 17a).
The Yeshiva of Rabbi Matya ben Charash was not only the first in Europe — in the Talmud it is named among the finest Yeshivot in the whole Jewish world, alongside the Yeshiva of Yavneh and the Yeshiva of Rabbi Akiva (Sanhedrin 32b).

The Test

This story befell Rabbi Matya ben Charash, who always sat in the Beit Midrash and studied Torah; the radiance of his face was like the radiance of the sun, and the appearance of his face was like that of the angels, because he never raised his eyes to look at women.
One day an angel of G-d cast a glance at the Tzadik and thought: “Can it be that this man does not sin?”
Then the angel of G-d went and asked G-d: “What do You think concerning Rabbi Matya ben Charash?”
To which G-d answered: “He is a perfect Tzadik.”
Then the angel of G-d said: “Give me leave to put him to the test.”
G-d said to the angel: “Go.”
The angel of G-d appeared before the Rav in the form of a beautiful woman, with whose beauty none in the world could compare. When the Tzadik saw her, he turned away at once. Then the woman swiftly moved to the side towards which Rabbi Matya had turned, and again he turned away from her.
The Tzadik thought then: “I fear that my Yetzer Hara (the evil inclination) will overcome me and make me sin.”
What did the Tzadik do? He called the student who was there with him and told him to bring red-hot nails. The student brought him the nails, and the Tzadik blinded his own eyes with them. When the angel of G-d saw this, he trembled and fell.
At that time the Holy One, Blessed Be He, called the angel Refael (for he is charged with healing) and said to him: “Go and heal Rabbi Matya ben Charash.”
The angel Refael came to the Rabbi and stood before him, but he asked: “Who are you?” and the angel answered: “I am Refael, an angel; the L-rd has sent me to heal your eyes.”
Rabbi Matya answered: “Leave me be; what is already done, let it remain.” Refael returned before the Holy One, Blessed Be He, and said: “Master of the World, thus Matya has answered.” The L-rd said to him: “Return to him and say that I Myself guarantee that the Yetzer Hara shall have no power over him.”
At once Refael went and healed Rabbi Matya. (Midrash “Aseret HaDibrot”, 79–80)
From this our Sages learn: “Over everyone who is careful not to look at women, the Yetzer Hara has no power.”
The Ari HaKadosh teaches that Rabbi Matya ben Charash is the gilgul of a man named Palti ben Layish, to whom King Shaul gave his daughter Michal, the wife of King David, since Shaul mistakenly held that their marriage had been invalid and that his daughter was unmarried. And he thrust a sword into the bed between them, and did not touch her. Nevertheless, he ought not to have kept her with him, and should have told King Shaul that he did not wish to marry her (because of her doubtful status).
Even though King Shaul was a sage of the Torah, and Palti ben Layish was bound to treat him with respect, it is said: “Where the desecration of the Name of the Almighty is at stake, one does not show deference to a rabbi.” Moreover, although Palti did not touch Michal, he nonetheless derived some pleasure from looking upon what did not belong to him, for she sat and lay beside him. He therefore had to rectify this, and was reincarnated as Rabbi Matya ben Charash.
And when the Satan sought to entice him, he held firm, and did not even wish to look at that beautiful woman. And both of them – Rabbi Matya ben Charash and Palti ben Layish – were a spark of the soul of the righteous Yosef, son of our forefather Yaakov. (“Ahavat Chaim” on Shemot)

In “Pirkei Avot” 4:15 his teaching is cited: “Be first to greet every person you meet in the street”, “Better to be the tail of a lion than the head of a fox”.

A Segula Connected with the Great Tanna Rabbi Matya ben Charash

Light 18 candles BiZchut Rabbi Matya ben Charash and say chapter 86 of Tehillim 18 times, and ask for everything you need – it is assured that, BeEzrat Hashem, you will merit miracles.
May the zechut of the great Tzadik, the Tanna Rabbi Matya ben Charash, guard our people! (Midrash “Yalkut Shimoni”, Vayechi 161)

A Segula at the Kever
The Mekubalim hold that the Tanna Rabbi Matya ben Charash was the gilgul of Yosef HaTzadik, son of our forefather Yaakov, and that he was likewise strong in “Shmirat Einayim” (the guarding of the eyes) – and therefore the Segula at his Kever is to ask for the healing of the eyes.

The Segula is to perform “Tikkun Einayim” at the Kever – to read a special Seder of pesukim from the Tanakh.

The whole Tikkun is here:

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